Outside
by Miah-Chan
Summary: "He rebuked himself again for playing Peeping-Tom; he ought to go knock on the door, alert the daughter that he had arrived. But he couldn't force himself to move, too enthralled with the scene playing out before him. If he'd had a family, would they have acted that way?...He didn't know. He was just on the outside looking in." Hinted NaruSaku, family, inclusion, acceptance.


Hello dears! ***waves*** It's been a while since I've posted anything for my "30 Day Drabble Challenge"...obviously the 30-day mark has long since passed, but under the circumstances for which I had to stop writing, I thought I'd at least try to finish the project. Plus I've been getting some requests for more NaruSaku fics, and I've been in a bit of a stump writing-wise, so this is what you get from that. XD It's not entirely NaruSaku, I guess, but if you squint...  
I'm not entirely satisfied with the ending, but I couldn't really think of how to better it. .  
Anyway, hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do _not_ own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

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"_My theory is that everyone, at one time or another, has been at the fringe of society in some way; an outcast in high-school, a stranger in a foreign country, the best at something, the worst at something, the one who's different. Being an outsider is the one thing we all have in common."_  
—Alice Hoffman

'_Shouldn't be doing this,'_ he thought, even as he continued to watch the family through their window from outside of their home. The mother was shaking a wooden spoon at her husband, who simply laughed good-naturedly at her temper, while the daughter had a pained expression of exasperation on her features. He didn't know what had caused such reactions—he hadn't been there very long—but the mere sight caused his heart to squeeze in his chest with longing.

He'd never had that.

Crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the railing, he rebuked himself again for playing Peeping-Tom; he ought to go knock on the door, alert the daughter that he had arrived. But he couldn't force himself to move, too enthralled with the scene playing out before him.

If he'd had a family, would they have acted that way? Would his mother have wacked the spoon over his father's head in agitation, only to kiss his cheek fondly moments later? Would his father have leaned forward to ruffle the hair on his son's head, grinning because he knew it would annoy? Would _he_ have laughed their antics, almost immediately forgetting his frustration because his love for them overshadowed their irritating qualities?

He didn't know. He was just on the outside looking in.

Suddenly, the daughter looked up, jade gaze locking with his azure one through the glass. He felt his whiskered cheeks heat in embarrassment, knowing he'd been caught. As he turned away, she appeared in a plume of smoke before him, outstretching a hand to halt his retreat.

"Naruto, wait." She reached for him but he stepped back, refusing to meet her gaze, ashamed.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan." He murmured, toeing the boards of their porch. "I was just about to knock—"

"Baka," she muttered, stepping forward and grabbing his hand before he could move away again. The contact caused him to lift his gaze to meet hers, a silent gasp of surprise escaping at the sight of her bright smile.

"C'mon, you know you don't have to knock." The pink-haired kunoichi laughed, tugging him forward towards the door. "You're a part of the family. Mom was just finishing up dinner. Let's eat."

Mouth agape, he allowed her to pull him along until they were seated beside one another at the kitchen table. Sakura's father, Kizashi, grinned at him, welcoming him easily while her mother greeted him with a whack of the spoon, ordering him to wash up first. Sakura giggled behind her hand at his expression, and just like that, his melancholy mood brightened and he returned their greetings with a grin.

"Hurry up, Naruto-kun, or the food will get cold. You're already late!" Mebuki scolded, shaking her spoon at him even as her emerald eyes twinkled fondly. Naruto saluted her with a chirpy 'yes ma'am!', washing his hands at the sink before taking his seat once again next to Sakura.

"Good, then, now that the whole family is here we can start eating." Mebuki announced with a smile, proceeding to pass a dish to her husband to begin the meal.

Naruto stared at her in astonishment; that was twice he'd been included as 'family' for the Haruno's. He felt his throat constrict with the emotions bombarding him at the implication, eyes burning; only Sakura's hand finding his underneath the table, offering an affectionate squeeze, held the reaction at bay.

"So, Naruto-kun, what took you so long?" Kizashi inquired, passing the dish on to Sakura, who placed a serving on both her and Naruto's plates.

Naruto cleared his throat before giving the man a grin, replying, "Just got, ah, a little distracted on the way, sir."

"Well," the man returned his grin. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Naruto replied softly, his gaze finding Sakura's. Understanding bright in her green eyes, she shouldered him good-naturedly, answering teasingly, "Wouldn't have been a family dinner without you, baka."

"Sakura's exactly right, now eat up! I didn't slave away over the oven all afternoon for nothing!" Mebuki ordered, pointing her chopsticks at Naruto. Chuckling, he murmured 'yes ma'am' before joining in the Haruno dinner madness.

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Thanks for reading! I'll try to complete the remaining word-prompts soon (hopefully with more NaruSaku)!  
R&R is greatly appreciated. :D xoxo

~Miah-Chan


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